Page 140 of Matteo
I loved my parents, and over the last few weeks, they’d shown support for my choice. I only hoped what I was about to tell them wouldn’t change that.
But if I took Arianna back to the States right now, we’d be back at square one, stuck in an endless loop driven by the wedge Hannah had started.
“Then what is it, Matteo?”
“Ari and I might have to lie low for a bit.” My gaze locked on her peaceful form on the bed. “We’re about to be married.”
“Son, I’m not sure if that’s wise. From what you’ve told me, she loves you. Bring her back, let her work things out with her family and her sister. Stay persistent… Break her walls and she’ll come around.Thenyou propose.”
I slid my hand through my hair. “It might be too late for that.”
“Is she pregnant?”
“No, Pa.”
“Then what the fuck is the rush?”
I stared at the woman on the bed for a silent beat. “I aimed a gun in her general direction and am about to kidnap her.”
“What. The. Fuck?” Pa roared so loudly that even Arianna stirred.
“Well, you can’t blame me for trying,” I deadpanned. “After all, you did it too.”
“You gotthisout of the story I shared with you?” he bellowed. “The point of my story was tonotrepeat my mistakes, Matteo.”
“Ari and I have some things to work through,” I continued as if he wasn’t losing his shit on the other end. “Before the Morrellis get wind of it.”
I had no doubt that they would. The man and his sons could find out what cereal people ate for breakfast.
“I’d fucking say so.” He took a deep breath, then released it. “Son, I’ll always have your back, no matter what, but I swear to God, you’re going to be the death of me.”
Pa had always been larger than life in my eyes. I’d always viewed him as a hero. But this moment was the first time I’d seen him so vulnerable, and it strengthened my love for him.
I smiled. “Just wait until Francesca starts dating.”
“I’m sending her to a convent,” he muttered. Then he cleared his throat and said in a serious tone, “Listen, Matteo. Nico and I have been friends for a very long time. He isn’t the giving-up type.”
“I expected nothing less,” I remarked wryly. “Although, I’m surprised he didn’t find her before me.”
“I heard from Cassio that someone’s been following the girls and erasing their tracks. That’s the reason it’s taking Nico longer than usual to find them.”
“It could be Agent Lloyd,” I stated pensively, more to myself than to my father.
“Huh?”
“Nikola and Gabriel learned there is an undercover agent connected to these belles agreements. I wonder if Agent Lloyd has something to do with it. He seems to be everywhere lately.”
In fact, I even caught him in my own building, talking to Arianna. At first, I thought he was sniffing around to get shit on my family. It was an everyday occurrence when you were in our line of business. But that didn’t really make sense. Not with him showing up on the campus. As a rule of thumb, our business was never conducted on any college campus.
“I’ll see what I can dig up on him. Aurora Nikolaev still has contacts in the FBI,” Pa stated matter-of-factly.
“Agreed.”
“Now back to your plan?—”
“I’m doing this,” I cut him off before he could waste his time. “Still no trace of Hannah?”
I was still furious with her, but that didn’t mean I wanted harm to come to her.
